Jeni White, a Learning Services Officer at the National Museum of Australia, shares the story behind a Melbourne tram conductor's bag. Trams are a Melbourne icon, but were once a feature of many cities and towns across Australia.

Harvest of Endurance is a 50-metre-long scroll that represents two centuries of Chinese contact with, and emigration to, Australia. Stories of hardship and survival, resourcefulness and reward are painted in the traditional gong bi style.

Up until the 1970s, one of the rites of passage for young women was marriage and a home of their own. As part of this tradition, many women kept a 'glory box'. It's a custom that harks back a long way into the past - and today, the glory box appears only in memories.

If the objects around us could talk they would tell fascinating stories about our lives. Object Stories is a joint project between ABC Open, RN and the National Museum of Australia. To see, hear and read over 600 contributions from around the country, visit the ABC Open Object Storiesproject site.